The Last Airbenders (Book Three: Harmony)
by BatTitan
Summary: Surprisingly, saving the world doesn't automatically equal a happy ending. A hundred-year-long war has left the world broken, scarred, and more divided than ever. They'll make it work somehow, though. Right? [ZukoxOC.]
1. The Harmony Restoration Movement

**Chapter 1: The Harmony Restoration Movement**

* * *

"I never realized how many colonies the Fire Nation had built in the Earth Kingdom," Aang said, frowning as he studied the large map laid out on the table in front of him, dotted with several miniscule flames along the Earth Kingdom's eastern coast.

"Yes. For the Earth people, they're a constant reminder of the war, like an old scar." The Earth King Kuei paled suddenly, glancing at Zuko nervously. "Oh, I-I meant nothing personal, Fire Lord Zuko."

Zuko shook his head, dismissing the apology, although Rinzen could feel the brief instant in which the accidental insult had stung him when his fingers curled around hers flared with warmth for a moment. "No, you're right," he said quietly. "After everything my father's done, all the pain he's caused, it's my duty to bring some healing to the world. I'll remove those colonies, whatever it takes."

"We'd have to be careful, though," Rinzen pointed out, drawing his attention to her as his grip on her hand tightened instinctively, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. She squeezed his hand back, but continued, "Plenty of people's lives are going to be disrupted, we can't just ignore that in favor of relocating them."

"People's lives were disrupted when these colonies were built, too," he reminded her. "I'm just trying to set things right."

"I know, and I'm glad you're convinced about this," she reassured him. "But all I'm saying is that this isn't going to be as easy as you might think it is."

"So I'll help oversee the colony removals myself," Aang answered quickly before Zuko could respond. "That way, things will go peacefully. All in a day's work for the Avatar, right? Peace is kinda my thing." He gave her a broad, confident smile.

"I guess," she conceded, although she still felt uneasy about removing colonies that had been in place for at least a hundred years, and Zuko relaxed marginally.

"Wonderful!" King Kuei clapped his hands together. "The Avatar's personal involvement will give the whole process an air of hope."

"Sokka and I can help, too," Katara agreed and Sokka grimaced.

"Well, I _was_ going to visit Kyoshi Island and see Suki." Katara elbowed him hard and he stood up a little straighter. "Okay, okay, we're both in."

"Same here." Toph raised her hand in agreement.

"It'll be a movement towards harmony," King Kuei declared. "We'll call it...hmm..."

"The Harmony Restoration Movement?" Sokka offered. Rinzen was surprised that the name wasn't quite as bad as she hadn't expected, especially coming from the same guy who had dubbed their group "Team Avatar" and named the assassin chasing them "Sparky Sparky Boom Man" and then later "Combustion Man."

"What's with your goofy names for everything?" Toph complained.

"Call it a gift," Sokka said with a modest shrug, but King Kuei perked up.

"The Harmony Restoration Movement! That's perfect!"

* * *

"Stop moving, Zuko!" Sokka snapped and Zuko froze in the middle of putting a cup of tea down on the table in front of Rinzen. "I'm trying to capture the moment!" Sokka gestured plaintively to the piece of parchment in front of him, where he was attempting to paint an image with broad brushstrokes of black ink.

They were all gathered in Iroh's tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon, in Ba Sing Se a few hours before the Earth King announced their plans for the Harmony Restoration Movement and the respective celebratory festival would begin. Aang sat on the floor of the shop playing with Momo, using a small whirlwind of air to manipulate a tiny marble into flying around as Momo chased after it eagerly, and Katara, Rinzen, and Toph sat at one table while Sokka sat at another, a paintbrush clutched in his hand and a smear of ink on his forehead. Rinzen could see Appa and Lychee through the window, laying in front of the Jasmine Dragon and nibbling on bales of hay together. Lychee's new leather saddle practically gleamed on her back with how freshly-polished it was.

It had taken some convincing for Lychee to get into the air when Rinzen had first climbed onto her head and called, "Yip-yip!" The moment she understood what Rinzen wanted, though, guiding her to fly wherever Rinzen directed her was almost intuitive, as if she could read Rinzen's mind and knew exactly where the airbender wanted her to go. Rinzen finally understood how Appa easily responded to Aang and flew wherever Aang asked him to, sometimes without Aang even having to say a word.

"I thought when I became Fire Lord, I'd stop getting ordered around, but now you guys are worse than ever," Zuko complained as he set the cup of tea down in front of Rinzen anyway before wandering over to Sokka's painting and then frowning at the image. "What are you even trying to paint? My hair's not that spiky. I look like a boar-cupine."

"And why'd you give me Momo's ears?" Katara demanded as she followed Zuko across the room, peering over Sokka's shoulder.

"Those are your hair loopies!" Sokka defended.

"And Rin looks-" Zuko pursed his lips contemplatively, glancing between the picture and Rinzen, who raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Actually, no, considering this is Sokka's art, you look fine," he conceded. "If you consider a stick figure with an arrow on her forehead as accurate. I can barely tell you and Aang apart here."

"Hey, Aang, turns out we've been twins all this time," Rinzen said sarcastically, earning a snicker from her brother from his place on the floor. She frowned down at her tea, which was green and smelled cool and refreshing despite how hot it was, and took a sip to find that it was peppermint, which tingled on her tongue. "Iroh, is the peppermint tea new?" she called into the kitchen.

"Yes, is it good?" Iroh called back, poking his head out around the door, and Rinzen gave him a thumbs-up.

"This one's tied with orange for second-favorite. First is still butter tea, obviously."

"Really?" Iroh looked pleased as he came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. "That's one more variety I'm adding to my menu, then. You make an excellent test subject." He paused behind Sokka's table, frowning at the painting. "Hey, my belly's not that big, I've really trimmed down."

"Well, I think you all look perfect," Toph declared and there was a pause for a moment as everyone eyed her warily, wondering if she was serious. "That's what I _would_ say if I could see," she added dryly and waved her hand in front of her own eyes pointedly. "Except I still wouldn't say it because even I know Sokka can't draw."

"Hey!" Sokka complained as the rest of the room burst into laughter and Rinzen saw Aang getting to his feet out of the corner of her eye, slipping out onto the balcony. After a moment, Katara followed him outside and Rinzen turned her attention away from them to give them some privacy.

"About time," Zuko muttered as he collapsed into Katara's abandoned seat beside Rinzen. "Watching them stare wistfully at each other when the other isn't looking is exhausting."

"You mean like how you used to look at Sprightly over here when she wasn't looking?" Toph deadpanned on Zuko's other side, making him flush and cover his face with one hand. "Even I could tell you were doing it, and I can't even see."

Rinzen felt her cheeks warm even as she leaned across Zuko to swat at Toph's arm. "Leave him alone, we got there eventually. And don't think I approve of that new nickname, either, I'm not _sprightly_."

"Everyone's a critic," Toph grumbled, pushing herself to her feet and wandering over to the other side of the shop.

Rinzen peeked up at Zuko, who still had his face half-hidden by his palm. "Did you really, though? Look at me when I wasn't looking?"

"Shut up, of course I did." He reluctantly lowered his hand, managing a tiny, embarrassed smile back at her. "Can you blame me?"

"A little, I mean, I have no idea what you were looking at me for," she answered dryly and he rolled his eyes.

"Because I love you, stupid." Even as casually as he said it, it still made Rinzen's heart leap into her throat and stick there.

"Love you, too, dummy," she answered, trying to go for the same casual tone, but failing miserably. It made Zuko smile, though, warm and tender in a way that would have seemed alien on his face even a few months ago.

"Oh, _gross_!" Sokka proclaimed loudly from the doorway to the balcony, startling Rinzen into looking over to where Katara and Aang had clearly been kissing, but had now jumped back from each other.

"We weren't doing anything!" Aang protested immediately, turning bright pink and throwing his hands up in the air.

"Try knocking next time, Sokka," Katara snapped back.

"I don't have to knock to go _outside_ ," Sokka complained. "And anyway, as my sister, you shouldn't be kissing anyone in front of me! It's your sisterly duty to avoid giving me the oogies!"

"The _what_?!" Katara shrieked, infuriated. "You are so immature! What about you and Suki?! And you don't see Aang complaining about Rin and Zuko!"

"Hey, we want nothing to do with this argument, thank you very much!" Rinzen called back and Zuko bit his lip hard to stifle his laughter.

"What did you come out here for, Sokka?" Aang asked, interrupting the argument brewing between the two Water Tribe siblings as he ushered them both back into the shop.

"Oh, right." Sokka turned to him, his annoyance at Katara forgotten even as she glowered a hole into the side of his head. "I was gonna suggest we take Appa and Lychee out for a ride before the festival starts."

"I don't know about Lychee, she's still so new to flying with riders that she might get spooked by the fireworks when they start," Rinzen pointed out. "But we can take Appa, sure."

"That's a great idea," Aang agreed, perking up slightly at the thought. "We haven't gotten to do any barrel-rolls with Appa for fun in ages."

"You know what, you guys can leave me here if you're doing barrel-rolls in the sky," Toph protested, grimacing. "I don't think my stomach's recovered from the last time we did barrel-rolls to avoid fireballs aimed in our general direction."

"Barrel-rolls for fun are way less scary," Aang dismissed, leading the way outside. "Let's go!" Shaking her head, Rinzen got to her feet to follow Aang outside and smiled when Lychee sat up slightly at the sight of her, her ears swiveling in Rinzen's direction.

"Hey, girl," she crooned fondly, rubbing her bison's nose. It was still surreal to think of Lychee as hers, especially when only a few days ago, she didn't even have a sky bison to call her own. "We're taking Appa for a ride, but don't get jealous, okay? You're still my favorite."

Appa grumbled beside her, sounding offended, and Aang laughed a little. "It's okay, you're my favorite, big guy." Appa seemed mollified, leaning into the hug Aang gave him before the younger airbender clambered onto his head.

Rinzen climbed into Appa's saddle and Lychee eyed her for a moment, as if debating whether to be upset, before settling down again, much to Rinzen's relief. Zuko emerged from the shop and patted Lychee's side affectionately before climbing into Appa's saddle and settling in beside Rinzen, his arm winding around her waist as she curled into his side.

"She seems to be adjusting pretty well for a bison who was wild only a few days ago," he noted, watching Lychee lick at her front paws absently.

"That's what happens when they bond with an airbender, they tend to start taking on their rider's temperament," Aang explained, glancing over his shoulder. "It took Appa way longer to get used to me, but we were both really young when we bonded, so we kind of influenced each other as we grew up." He rubbed Appa's head fondly. "Rin really lucked out, Lychee's probably the most well-adjusted bison I've ever met."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. She's a sweetheart," Rinzen agreed, smiling as Lychee bumped her nose affectionately against Katara, Sokka, and Toph as they each made their way out of the shop and into Appa's saddle. "It's nice that she gets along with everyone."

"I don't know, I still think she's trying to take a bite out of me every now and then," Sokka complained.

"Don't flatter yourself, you're too bony to be as tasty as you seem to think you are," Toph said dryly, earning laughter from everyone else as Sokka crossed his arms and sank down into Appa's saddle, sulking.

"Yip-yip," Aang said, still giggling, and Appa pushed himself into the darkening sky as the sun lowered slowly below the horizon.

To spare Toph, they didn't do any barrel rolls, but they did speed through the air, Aang guiding Appa to dive fast enough that the wind whipped through their clothes and Katara and Sokka threw their arms into the air as they screamed with delight. Toph clutched onto the edge of the saddle, her knuckles white with terror, and Rinzen, used to flying so fast, took a little enjoyment in seeing the exhilaration on Zuko's face as Appa repeatedly dove down, dropping several feet before zooming upwards again.

"Let's go again!" Aang cheered, but then Katara pointed as a sudden pop went off and a shower of red sparks burst in front of them, followed by another shower of green sparks.

"Wait, the fireworks are starting!"

"Hey, best seats in the house," Sokka said appreciatively, leaning back in the saddle.

"You're right," Aang agreed, rubbing Appa's head. "Thanks, buddy." Appa grumbled goodnaturedly as they flew slowly, carefully avoiding the fireworks around them as they watched the colors fill the dark sky.

Hearing a cacophony of sound below them, Rinzen glanced over the edge of the saddle to see the many citizens of Ba Sing Se gathered below cheering and celebrating. "Looks like the Earth King's just announced the Harmony Restoration Movement."

"Hey, you guys wanna know what fireworks are like for me?" Toph offered abruptly. "Close your eyes." Rinzen knew better than to close her eyes, but Sokka fell for it, shutting his eyes. Toph leaned in close to Sokka's ear before screaming, "AHHH!"

Sokka yelped and toppled over in the saddle, clutching at his ear. " _Ow_!"

"Don't be such a grump, Toph," Katara admonished. "You're out with friends on a beautiful night and celebrating the fact that we just saved the world!"

"True," Toph agreed, although she still looked pleased by the success of her prank.

"You, too, Your New Majesty Fire Lord Zuko, sir! Turn that frown upside-down!" Aang said cheerfully and Rinzen looked away from the celebration below to find Zuko staring out at the night sky grimly, the fireworks illuminating the serious expression on his face.

"Zuko?" she prompted worriedly, but he ignored her, turning to face Aang.

"I visited my father in prison the other day before we left the Fire Nation," he said quietly and Aang's smile faded. "And I've been meaning to ask you for a favor."

"Sure, what is it?" Aang asked, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"If you ever see me turning into my father, I want you to end me."

" _What_?" Rinzen blurted out before she could stop herself and was faintly aware of Katara, Sokka, and Toph's bickering falling silent behind them. "That's ridiculous, you're not going to-"

Zuko held his hand up, making her fall silent, and kept his gaze fixed on Aang, who looked horrified at the request. "Even now, after everything that's happened, my family's legacy is still part of me. That's why it's my duty to heal the scars the Fire Nation's left on the world. But the Fire Lord's throne comes with a lot of pressures, and if I'm honest with myself, I need a safety net. The _world_ needs a safety net. That's what I need you to be."

"You're not your dad!" Aang protested. "You're my _friend_! How can you expect me to-?"

"And as your friend, I'm asking you," Zuko interrupted. "If you ever see me go bad, you have to end me."

"You're being stupid," Rinzen muttered and Zuko looked back down at her, his expression softening.

"I'm sorry, Rin, but I need to make sure someone stops me if I ever start turning into-"

"You're not going to turn into your father!" she protested. "You're already making the world a better place with all the changes you've been making!"

"My great-grandfather thought he was improving the world, too, when he plunged it into a hundred years of war," he reminded her. "I can't risk ruining things further, even if I don't mean to. Someone has to hold me accountable, like Avatar Roku should have for Fire Lord Sozin." He looked up at Aang, who still looked uneasy. "Please, Aang. Promise me."

Swallowing, Aang nodded. "Okay. I promise." He avoided meeting Rinzen's eyes guiltily as he turned away again, guiding Appa to start flying back to the Jasmine Dragon.

* * *

It wasn't easy to forget the promise Zuko had forced Aang to make, and it lingered in the back of Rinzen's mind long after they left Ba Sing Se, but in her opinion, he had no reason to worry. He and Rinzen returned to the Fire Nation, with Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph lingering behind in the Earth Kingdom to begin the process of removing the Fire Nation colonies, and threw themselves into rebuilding the Fire Nation infrastructure, especially removing ministers and generals who were firmly still on the former Fire Lord's side from Zuko's council.

Slowly, the capital city of the Fire Nation began to flourish again, no longer as solemn and lifeless as it had been when the war had first ended. Every time Rinzen stepped out of the palace, she was greeted with the sounds of children laughing and shouting as they played and ran through the streets and bustling markets.

The massive changes within the Fire Nation government weren't received well by everyone, though. Rinzen and Zuko often found wickedly-curved daggers embedded in the doorway of their bedroom and threatening notes in unfamiliar handwriting slipped underneath the door of Zuko's study, where he spent more nights hunched over his desk rather than in his bed.

"You know, they really ought to figure out eventually that we're not exactly scared of daggers," Rinzen said dryly two months after Zuko's coronation as she yanked out a dagger from where it was embedded in the wooden door frame of their room. "What is this, the third one this month? They're just wasting perfectly good weapons now."

Zuko didn't smile as he took the dagger from her, studying the sharp, curved edge of the blade. "Things are only going to keep escalating at this rate."

"Maybe you ought to consider keeping a couple guards posted outside your room at night," Sora offered as he leaned on the doorway beside them. "Just in case." He had been appointed as the head of Zuko's personal guard as soon as Zuko had been crowned Fire Lord and had chosen the guards carefully to make sure none of them meant the new Fire Lord any harm.

"Maybe." Zuko looked up from the dagger in his hands, his expression grim. "Rin, I think you should get started on restoring the temples. I can send word to Aang to meet you at the Southern Temple so you two can go through your things together."

"What?" She blinked back at him, bewildered. "We've still got plenty of work to do here. I can always start on the temples anytime."

"I can take care of the work here," he reassured her as he passed off the dagger to Sora, who retreated down the hall with it to stash it along with the other blades they had found over the past couple months since Zuko had taken the throne. "The temples mean a lot to you, and I'd rather not keep you cooped up here in the palace when you could be doing something you love."

"Being here with you is something I love doing," she pointed out, which finally made him crack a small smile as he slid his arms around her to pull her close.

"Believe me, the last thing I want is to send you away."

"So don't." She ducked her head to nestle it underneath his chin and his arms tightened around her. "If you're worried about my safety because of these threats, you don't have to be. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can."

"Then quit treating me like I can't," she retorted.

He exhaled wearily, ducking his head to press a kiss into her hair. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Good, you should be." She pinched his side gently, making him jolt slightly, before pulling back to study his face. It wasn't hard to tell that he was exhausted, the long nights of working late hours manifesting as a dark circle under his good eye and a slight darkening of the burned skin beneath his scarred eye. "You do know you have a bed, right? Your desk doesn't count."

He shook his head dismissively. "I'm fine."

"You're tired, is what you are," she answered, reaching up to brush her thumb underneath his good eye. "I think you're starting to look more like a raccoon-squirrel than a human."

"Very funny." He wrinkled his nose, tilting his head out of her reach. "I'm _fine_ , Rin, really. You don't have to fuss over me."

"If I don't do it, your uncle's going to the next time he sees you," she reminded him. "I figure I'm the lesser of two evils."

He huffed a chuckle, leaning back down to press a kiss to her forehead. "Okay, fine, point taken. I'll try to get to bed earlier."

"Thank you." She tilted her head up to peck his lips in return.

* * *

 _Dear Rin,_

 _Things are going great with the Harmony Restoration Movement. We've relocated about two colonies so far! It's a lot of work, but everyone seems to be happy to go back to the Fire Nation and settle into their new homes._

 _I'm sure you and Zuko must be busy rebuilding the Fire Nation. Toph's started a new metalbending academy in the Earth Kingdom just outside of Yu Dao, so she's been pretty busy, too. Katara, Sokka, and I miss you three a lot. We should figure out a way for all of us to meet and catch up sometime. In the meantime, tell Zuko to write if you can pry him away from paperwork long enough. I miss my grumpy Sifu Hotman._

 _I'm a little worried to hear about the security problems you guys are having in the palace. Are you sure you and Zuko are safe? I know Sora's probably got you covered, but just in case, Suki says she and the Kyoshi warriors would be happy to act as additional guards for you guys. Send a messenger hawk to Kyoshi Island if you need her._

 _Take care of yourself and keep in touch more often than every couple weeks, okay? I know you've got access to quills and parchment in that big, fancy palace._

 _Love, Aang_

 _P.S. Momo and Appa say hi and they miss you._

* * *

Rinzen wasn't stupid; she was well aware that the backlash Zuko was receiving was at least in part because of her. It was common knowledge that she was living in the palace with him, but it still unnerved her when she received her first threatening note slid underneath the bedroom door. Before she could even think to hide it from Zuko, Sora had already reported it to him.

"Remind me never to tell you anything I don't want him to know," Rinzen muttered to Sora as she grudgingly dropped the scrap of parchment into Zuko's waiting hand.

Sora shrugged helplessly. "Hey, you're my friend, too. And if you're in danger, we both need to know about it."

"'Get out of our country, airbender?'" Zuko read, raising an eyebrow as he crushed the parchment in his hand. "It's as if these people don't remember that they occupied Earth Kingdom territory up until a few months ago. Hypocrites." Rinzen hadn't even realized he had burned the letter until he opened his palm again and ashes trickled out of his palm where the parchment had been.

She reached out to take his hand, which was still scalding to the touch, but the moment her fingers laced with his, his skin began to cool again rapidly. "Relax. It's just a dumb note. We've gotten plenty of those so far and none of them upset you this much."

"None of them were targeting you until now," he reminded her quietly, tightening his hold on her hand.

"Well, as much as I appreciate you getting offended on my behalf, it's okay." She leaned up to peck his cheek. "A lot of things are changing in the Fire Nation and people are scared and lashing out. I don't think taking these notes to heart will help."

"If you say so," he conceded, although his eyebrows were still furrowed in concern as he glanced up at Sora. "I think you were right before, about keeping guards posted outside at night. Just in case things get worse than just threatening notes and daggers in our door frame."

"Sounds like a plan," Sora agreed, a frown on his normally-smiling face. "I'll get my best guards on it."

* * *

 _Dear Aang,_

 _Okay, okay, I'm sorry for not writing more often. Lay off the guilt already. Things have just been really busy here._

 _Zuko and I miss you all a ton. He's probably the only one busier than I am, I hardly see him outside his study these days except when I have to drag him out to get him to sleep a little. Although he did tell me to tell you to quit calling him Sifu Hotman._

 _I'm really glad to hear that the Harmony Restoration Movement is going well. Just be careful when relocating citizens who have been in the colonies for a long time. Some of these people have probably never even set foot in the Fire Nation before in their lives. I worry that they might cause more trouble than anybody else._

 _I can't wait to see Toph's metalbending academy sometime, it sounds fascinating. Has she actually gotten students already? It'd be neat to see more earthbenders start picking it up, it's a really useful skill to have._

 _The security problem's not too bad, Sora and his guards have it taken care of. We're safe, you don't have to worry about us. It's not like we didn't expect some backlash when Zuko was crowned Fire Lord, anyway, I guess we just didn't expect it so soon. I'll keep Suki's offer in mind, though._

 _Give Katara and Sokka my best, and don't give Sokka too many oogies by smooching Katara around him._

 _Love, Rin_

 _P.S. Lychee says hi and she misses her favorite Avatar._

* * *

Rinzen awoke with a start in the middle of the night to an odd rumbling noise drifting in through the open window. She carefully untangled herself from Zuko's side to sit up, trying to avoid waking him when he hardly got enough sleep as it was, but cursed inwardly when he stirred, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm.

"What is it?" he mumbled around a yawn as he sat up, his hair tousled and hanging in his eyes. It was still half-pulled up into a topknot, as if he had been too exhausted to take his hair down entirely before crawling into bed beside Rinzen earlier that night.

"Nothing, I just thought I heard something outside," she reassured him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'm gonna take a look, you go back to sleep." He frowned, but obediently settled back down as she climbed out of bed and moved to the window to peer outside into the dark courtyard of the palace below.

She didn't see anything out of place at first, but then a shuffling movement from the stables caught her eye. Lychee was shifting anxiously in her stall, her teeth bared at something Rinzen couldn't quite see as a low growl rumbled out of her throat, the source of the noise Rinzen had heard. Suddenly, she saw a flickering flame snap out like a whip and lash at Lychee as the bison whimpered and flinched away from the fire.

"Someone's hurting Lychee!" At the sound of the panic in Rinzen's voice, Zuko jolted upright again, wide awake, even as Rinzen hurried across the room to grab her staff where it was propped against the wall. She snapped it open as she made her way back to the window.

"Rin, wait-!" Zuko began to protest, but she had already jumped out through the window, spiraling down to the courtyard and snapping her glider shut as she swung it as hard as she could to send a strong current of wind at the intruder. He stumbled under the force of the gale, but didn't fall as she had hoped. A black mask covered his entire face except his eyes, which glinted gold in the dim moonlight.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she snapped at him. "She's an innocent animal!"

"It got you out here, didn't it?" he retorted, his voice low and gruff as he sent a powerful blast of fire at her. She spun her staff quickly to block the flames, but she could still feel the heat scorching at her skin. "What's the matter, didn't bring your precious Fire Lord out with you?" he called mockingly. "I guess I'll just have to find and end him myself."

"Like hell am I letting you get to him," Rinzen retorted angrily, at least a little glad she knew what the man was here for even if the thought of anyone actively trying to make an attempt on Zuko's life made her heart tighten a little in terror.

She managed to block another fire blast just in time, directing the flames away from a terrified Lychee huddled at the back of her stall, but she hadn't realized how close the intruder had gotten to her until her glider was wrenched out of her hands and she was thrown backwards, her back hitting the cobblestones hard and knocking the wind out of her.

"I've got no quarrel with you, airbender," the man said as he began to walk past her. "Just your boyfriend."

She rolled over just enough to grab at his ankle and tugged hard, making him fall forward and using his weight to pull herself to her feet in a swift move. She kept a tight hold of his ankle as she drove her knee down into his back, holding him in place.

"Last I checked, any quarrel with him's a quarrel with me." She tugged his ankle upwards to put a little more pressure on it and he groaned in pain.

"Rin!" Zuko hurried out into the courtyard, Sora and two other guards behind him.

"It's okay, I've got him," she reassured them, only daring to get up once Sora nudged her off the man to bind his wrists and ankles in thick fireproof ropes.

"What were you thinking?! You could've been killed!" Zuko protested.

"Hey, you're talking to the same girl who punched your sister in the face and broke her nose," Sora pointed out as he handed the intruder off to the two guards who had accompanied him and Zuko. "I think Rin can take care of herself just fine."

"See? Sora gets it," Rinzen said, grinning back at them as she picked up her abandoned glider from the ground, but Zuko still didn't look mollified.

"Down with the traitor!" the man spat at Zuko as he was dragged away by the guards. "Down with the Fire Lord who betrays his own people!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're better off yelling at a brick wall for all the good that'll do you, buddy," Sora said dryly as he followed the guards and their new prisoner out of the courtyard.

Zuko let out a slow, shaky exhale once they were gone, scrubbing a hand over his pale face. "Wait for me next time, Rin," he scolded, although he sounded weak with relief all the same.

"I had it handled," Rinzen insisted before closing the space between herself and the stables to check on Lychee. The sky bison was still whimpering, albeit less than before, as she inched forward and pushed her nose into Rinzen's waiting hand. "It's okay, baby girl, you're okay," she murmured soothingly. "You did so well, warning me before that guy even got past the courtyard."

"Lychee warned you?" Zuko echoed, frowning as he joined her at the door to the stables.

"Her growling was what woke me up," she explained. "I bet he probably wouldn't've bothered with attacking her if she hadn't made any noise. He'd've made his way right up to us and we wouldn't've even known."

Zuko was silent for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he reached out to stroke Lychee's fur gently. "Thanks, Lychee," he murmured before giving Rinzen a small, weary smile, sliding his free arm around her waist. "Remind me to get her a bushel of moon-peaches in the morning."

"I will." Even as Rinzen leaned into his embrace, listening to his heartbeat calm down slowly after the rush of adrenaline, she had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time a disgruntled Fire Nation citizen attempted to take matters into their own hands.

* * *

 **So, uh, guess who thought this chapter would take way longer to write than it actually did? Spoiler: it was me. (Not going to lie, I had maybe two paragraphs of this chapter done when I posted Book 2's last chapter yesterday and I wrote the rest of this chapter today in the span of two hours.)**

 **Turns out writing the post-show comics storyline is really fascinating, and I'd really like to get into the rest of the plot ASAP! It's really great to explore the idea that things weren't as perfect as the last episode of the show made it seem like they would be. There are definitely going to be new problems and even old problems to face and resolve.**

 **Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this first chapter!**


	2. The Harvest Festival

**Chapter 2: The Harvest Festival**

* * *

"Zuko, it's the literal middle of the night," Rinzen pointed out wearily as she sat on the edge of their bed, watching Zuko pace anxiously back and forth across the room. "Don't you think getting some sleep and thinking about this with a clear head in the morning might do you some good?"

"Someone just tried to break into the palace and assassinate me," he reminded her irritably even as he ran a hand agitatedly through his hair, messing it up even further. "So _excuse me_ if I don't exactly feel like sleeping. You can go ahead and sleep if you want, but I'm staying up."

"As if there's any chance of me sleeping when you're this upset," she answered, although she had to stifle a yawn before she could finish her sentence.

Zuko's expression softened slightly and he closed the space between them, dropping to his knees in front of her and grasping her hands. His palms were practically steaming as heat rose off his skin, a sign of how angry and upset he really was, but she still laced their fingers together.

"Rin, this is what I was talking about when I said things would change after I became Fire Lord."

"I'm pretty sure you didn't predict assassination attempts at the time," she pointed out and he grimaced.

"Actually, I did kind of expect something like this. I was hoping to avoid scaring you by mentioning it. If you'd just gone to the Southern Air Temple like I'd suggested a couple weeks ago-"

"And what, let you deal with people trying to kill you on your own?" she interrupted him, feeling a twinge of annoyance. " _That's_ why you suggested I start restoring the temples? So I'd be out of the way?"

"I didn't want you getting hurt!" he protested. "Besides, I wouldn't've been on my own! I have guards for a reason!"

"If it hadn't been for me checking on Lychee, no one would've even noticed that someone had snuck in tonight," she argued. "When did you expect to figure it out, when you had a knife in your chest?" Her own chest seized a little at the thought and she clutched his hands so tightly that she was sure her grip was hurting him, but he didn't try to pull away, only exhaling slowly and ducking his head to press his lips to her knuckles tenderly. Her heart skipped a beat despite her anger.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled guiltily, "You're right. I shouldn't have tried to send you away. But the fact remains that you could've been hurt tonight just because you were in that guy's way, or worse. And I can't live with myself if anything happened to you."

"And you think I can live with myself if anything happened to _you_?" Rinzen retorted, but she could already feel her irritation draining away in the face of how tired and defeated Zuko looked. "I've come close enough to losing you once, and I'm not exactly keen on doing it again."

He didn't answer as he kept his eyes trained on their intertwined hands, unable to look up at her, but his expression was so open and vulnerable that she found herself feeling a pang of sympathy as she leaned down to press a kiss against the top of his bowed head.

"I know you're scared for me," she said quietly. "But that goes both ways, and I can't just step aside when I know you're in danger." She tugged at his hands gently, noticing that they had cooled considerably. "Come here, dummy, you've been miserable long enough tonight without me adding to it."

He cracked a tiny smile at last before climbing to his feet and settling on the edge of the bed beside her. "You're too nice to me."

"I know I am," she teased back as she nestled her head against his shoulder and he slipped his arms around her waist, hauling her close until she was settled against his chest. "Tell you what, you can make it up to me by not telling Aang about this. I don't want him worrying."

He huffed a chuckle. "As if I needed a reason not to tell the Avatar that his sister had to take out an assassin tonight. He'd lose his mind."

"Speaking of which, he said in his last letter that Suki's willing to bring the Kyoshi warriors here if we needed more guards we can trust," she recalled. "Worst case scenario, I could send a messenger hawk to Kyoshi Island and reach out to them."

He hummed quietly in consideration. "I'll think about it," he agreed after a moment.

"No chance I can convince you to get some sleep?" she offered and he sighed wearily.

"Sorry, Rin. I know you mean well, but sleep isn't going to happen tonight."

"It's okay," she reassured him. "I just worry, you hardly sleep at all these days as it is." She pressed a kiss against his shoulder softly, and he relaxed marginally.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you." He brushed his fingers absently through her hair, slowly carding through the strands and working out each tangle he found carefully. She closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling of his hand brushing against her hair as his other hand rested just underneath the hem of her shirt, his warm, rough fingers splayed against the small of her back.

"I don't know, I think you did plenty," she reasoned, muffling a yawn into his collarbone as she nestled her head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart beneath her ear.

"Are you about to fall asleep _already_?" Zuko asked after a few moments of comfortable silence, sounding amused.

"Shut up, you're warm and I'm cozy," Rinzen retorted around another yawn and the sound of his laughter in response, quiet and exhausted as it was, felt like a soothing balm after the stressful night they had had.

"You're so easy to put to sleep, all I have to do is brush your hair and you're out like a light." He shuffled backwards until he was settled against the headboard of the bed, cradling her against him easily.

"Hmm," she managed to answer sleepily, tilting her head to brush a kiss against the crook of his neck. "Try and sleep, too, please. For me."

"I'll try," he conceded, although he didn't sound convinced that he could even as he carded his fingers through her hair one last time. "I love you."

"Love you, too," she mumbled, finally allowing herself to doze off.

* * *

 _Dear Rin,_

 _Aang's doing just fine, don't worry. He's just got his hands tied up with moving the residents of the Hu Xin province to the Fire Nation and asked me to write to you on his behalf._

 _The Harmony Restoration Movement is still going great, but I have a feeling you may have had a point about people resisting change, especially some of these older colonies like the Hu Xin province. It'd really be a big help if you could get Zuko out here to talk to his people, or at least have him contact the mayor to help move things along._

 _On a lighter note, Sokka's not complaining about oogies as often whenever he catches me and Aang together, so maybe that means he's either getting used to it or he's becoming mature enough to not say anything? Either way, it's a relief, it's exhausting dealing with him cringing and making faces every time we so much as look at each other._

 _I don't know how you could stand it whenever we used to tease you about Zuko, this is mortifying. I'm so sorry for all the embarrassment we must've put you through, I completely get it now._

 _Take care of yourself and Zuko, make sure he's eating and sleeping enough. I know he tends to get wrapped up in his work often. And write to us more often, seriously. We miss you!_

 _Love, Katara_

* * *

"Katara says to make sure you're eating and sleeping," Rinzen said as she read the last few lines of the letter Katara had sent, and Zuko snorted with amusement across the room where he was sitting at his desk, writing a letter to the mayor of the Hu Xin province, as Rinzen had requested after she had begun reading Katara's letter.

"Great, you two are ganging up on me and she's not even here. Next thing I know, you'll rope my uncle into it."

"Don't give me ideas," she threatened. He rolled his eyes back at her fondly and dropped his gaze back down to the parchment in front of him, reading through the letter and then wrinkling his nose before crumpling it up and grabbing a fresh sheet to start over. "That's the fourth draft you've written," Rinzen pointed out, frowning.

"I don't know how to word it." Zuko raked his hand through his hair absently, wincing when his fingers caught in the topknot that he had forgotten he had pulled his hair into. Rinzen set Katara's letter aside and came around to stand behind his armchair, carefully removing his crown and sliding off the band keeping his hair in place so that he could free his hand again. "Taking my crown's technically an act of treason, you know," he protested as she set the flame-shaped headpiece down on his desk.

"I'd love to see you try and get me arrested, we both know I'm Sora's favorite," she deadpanned and he huffed a chuckle before turning back to the piece of parchment on the desk and staring down at it, as if willing words to automatically form on the blank surface. "Maybe you're just overthinking whatever you're trying to say?" she suggested, ducking her head to press a kiss into his hair. "You do overthink things a lot."

He tilted his head back just enough to give her an upside-down sour look. "Name _one_ time."

"The first time you told me you loved me," she retorted and he rolled his eyes.

"Anytime I was ever talking to you doesn't count, you used to make me nervous every time you looked at me."

"I did?" she asked, startled, before what he said registered and she added, offended, "Wait, _used to_?"

"Well, now I know you like me back, so that's not as big a concern as it used to be," he dismissed as he turned his attention back to the parchment in front of him, resolutely avoiding her eyes. "But yes, you did. Shut up."

"Hey, you're the one who brought it up and now I'm curious." Rinzen leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead, earning a brief smile despite his best attempt to cover it up with a mock-scowl. "I made you nervous? Why?"

"In hindsight, it's kind of stupid." Zuko gave up on attempting to write the letter, setting his quill back into the inkwell on his desk before reaching up to tug her around the armchair gently so that she settled in his lap. "I didn't think you were interested in me for a long time."

"You're right, that _is_ stupid," she agreed. "Especially considering how obviously head over heels I was for you."

He blinked, taken aback. "Really?"

"Yes, really." She leaned in and kissed him softly, feeling him smile against her lips as he slid his arms around her waist. "I can't remember what it was like to not love you."

"I don't know, I distinctly remember there was a time when you couldn't stand me," he reminded her, tilting his head to kiss the underside of her jaw softly.

"Was there?" she asked faintly, distracted by the feeling of his warm lips on her skin as she tilted her head back to give him more room.

"Mhm." He pressed a kiss against her pulse point. "You hated me for a while when we first met. Wasn't all that long ago, either. Maybe a little over a year now?"

"I never _hated_ you," she answered, trying not to think about how just a little over a year ago, she had still been encased in an iceberg along with Aang and Appa. "Just didn't really know what to make of you. One minute, you were hell-bent on capturing my brother, and the next, you were being my friend."

He huffed a chuckle against her neck, ducking his head to nestle it against her shoulder. "You thought of me as your friend even back then?"

"Of course I did." She shrugged mildly, careful not to dislodge his head from her shoulder. "You were nice to me once in a while."

"The bar was set so much lower than I thought. That's sad." He frowned even as he kissed the crook of her neck. "Now I just feel guilty for not being even nicer to you back then."

"You've made up for it in spades since then," she reassured him, brushing her fingers through his hair absently. "But you still haven't told me why I used to make you nervous."

"Oh." He flushed slightly as he drew back again, embarrassed. "It's, uh. Well, like I said, it's kind of stupid. Back then, I just figured, well, of course you weren't interested. I mean, you're…" She raised an eyebrow expectantly and he faltered. "Well, you're _you_ ," he finished lamely after a moment.

"Wow, that clarifies so much," she said dryly.

"Shut up, I'm trying to make this sound less dumb," he retorted, hesitating before admitting, "You're beautiful."

It was Rinzen's turn to turn red as she hid her face into his collarbone. "No, I'm not," she mumbled and Zuko sighed wearily.

"Yes, you are, let me finish pouring my heart out already before I change my mind."

"I can't when you say stuff like that!" she protested, positive that he could feel how hot her face was against his skin.

"Oh, for spirits' sake," he muttered, but there was a note of fondness in his voice as he tugged her back, nudging his forehead against hers to keep her from hiding her face again. "You're beautiful, and I'm not, okay? Half my face is ruined, and I'm not good enough for you in a lot more ways than just looks, but that was a good part of the reason you made me nervous." He finished in a rush of breath and Rinzen stared at him, bewildered.

"Don't think I haven't noticed that you still think you're not good enough for me, and we're gonna address how stupid that is eventually, but you were nervous around me because of your _scar_?" she said incredulously and he grimaced, not meeting her eyes.

"I know what you're going to say," he muttered. "You're going to say that my scar's part of me, and there's nothing to be ashamed of, and I know that now. But it's still _there_. Just a permanent reminder that I'll never look normal."

"I've never known you without your scar," she reminded him. "So to me, you _do_ look normal. Except maybe a little more tired, because you're apparently allergic to sleep." He cracked a brief, wry smile. "Besides, I'm not here with you just for your looks."

"Just?" he echoed, raising an eyebrow. "So my looks are still part of the reason?"

"Hey, I'm not going to deny that you're gorgeous, scar and all," she answered defensively, finally making him laugh as he tugged her in to kiss her again firmly.

* * *

 _Dear Katara,_

 _How many times do I have to apologize to you guys for not writing enough? At this rate, it sounds like you'll only be satisfied if I write a letter every day. And if I do that, I'll run out of things to say fast, so really, I'm doing you a favor by writing once a week._

 _Zuko sent a letter yesterday to reach out to the mayor of the Hu Xin province, and he expects to get a response back by the end of the week. Hopefully, things will get better on your end if the mayor responds well to what Zuko had to say. Keep me posted, okay?_

 _Yeah, you_ should _feel guilty after all the torment you guys put me through in Ba Sing Se. I still can't hear the name "Lee" without thinking of Sokka and Toph singing it (and let me tell you, I love our friends, but they're not by any means musically gifted)._

 _All jokes aside, though, I'm glad you and Aang are happy. You two deserve each other. I think it goes without saying that I expect you to be good to him, or else._

 _Take care of each other, and give Appa and Momo some peaches on my behalf._

 _Love, Rin_

* * *

"I can't believe Aang convinced you to throw a party," Rinzen said as she peered over Zuko's shoulder at the papers littering his desk, half-finished sketches of city plans and drafts of approval forms waiting for his signature.

"It's not a _party_ ," Zuko answered defensively. "It's the Harvest Festival. It celebrates the end of the farming season and the good harvest it had brought."

"I know, I've been to it once," she reassured him and he raised an eyebrow.

"You have?"

"Sure, I went with Monk Gyatso and Aang once about four years ago - well, a hundred and four years ago, anyway," she amended, still unable to wrap her head around the fact that what only seemed like yesterday to her was in fact more than a hundred years in the past. "It used to be a huge collaboration between the Fire Nation and the Air Nomads. People from all over the world would show up to see it."

"Huh." Zuko took a moment to consider that before adding, "In any case, it's a good thing Aang mentioned it or I'd've never even thought to look into it. We haven't celebrated the Harvest Festival since before the war began."

"I'm more surprised he didn't convince you to throw a dance party to celebrate the end of the war," Rinzen answered teasingly and Zuko wrinkled his nose.

"Don't remind me, the last thing I need are Wang Fire and Sapphire Fire showing up." He shook his head even as Rinzen snorted with amusement. "How they survived being undercover in the Fire Nation, I'll never know."

"Your guess is as good as mine," she agreed, looking back down at the papers scattered across his desk. "Hey, I remember this." She pointed at a sketch Aang had sent with his letter to Zuko, which consisted of several merchant stalls lining the city square and people gathered in a large circle around a stage, where two Air Nomads - a boy and a girl from the Southern and Western temples, respectively - were playing a bamboo flute and a dramyin - a thin-bodied lute with six strings. She recognized the boy in particular as a teenager who had only been a few years older than her, trying not to think about the fact that he must have died in the attack on their temple. "They used to pick two teenage Air Nomads to perform at the festival every year."

Looking down at the picture, she could easily recall how it had felt to be there - barely thirteen years old with a freshly-shaved head while Aang, on the cusp of nine years old, danced around her as if his feet were on fire, admiring her brand-new arrow tattoos. Gyatso had brought them to the festival as a treat, a celebration of Rinzen receiving her marks of airbending mastery. She had felt, in the following year, that she had been upstaged when Aang had mastered airbending just after his tenth birthday, but now she knew better than to be bitter. Aang had his talents and she had her own, albeit far less of them.

The air had been chilly as the beginnings of winter crept over the Fire Nation, but so many lanterns had been lit that the entire city had been flushed with warmth, bright with music and laughter and the heady scents of spices, flowers, and sweets. The melodies of the flute and dramyin had echoed across the square as if floating on the breeze, calling their attention, and Aang had dragged her to the stage so that they could watch the two Air Nomads perform. The girl's slender fingers had plucked at the strings of the dramyin so elegantly that Rinzen remembered feeling a twinge of envy that she didn't possess the same kind of grace.

"You and Aang are two teenage Air Nomads," Zuko said, drawing her out of the memory.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"And I distinctly recall you mentioning that you liked music night on the ship," he added pointedly and she blinked back at him.

"Sure, it was nice enough. What's your point?"

" _And_ I know for a fact that you once played the sitar at said music night, so I know you can play stringed instruments," he clarified, grinning a little at her confusion. "My uncle says you were talented at it."

Slowly, she pieced it together. "Wait, you want me and Aang to do _that_?" She pointed at the sketch again. "Are you _insane_?"

"I bet Aang would agree if I asked him," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, he's a natural performer. He loves being in the spotlight," Rinzen dismissed. "Me, on the other hand, my anxiety has anxiety most days."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Zuko reassured her. "I just thought it'd be nice to give people a view into how things used to be back then, with the Fire Nation and the Air Nomads collaborating to put this festival on for the world."

She grimaced. "You're really laying the guilt on thick so I'll agree, aren't you?"

"I'm just being honest. If it's making you feel guilty, that's on you," he answered with a mild shrug before examining the sketch again. "What _is_ this thing, anyway?" He pointed at the dramyin.

"It's a dramyin," she explained, trying to avoid thinking about being on stage and performing with it. "Smaller than a sitar, and easier to play since it's got only six strings. I learned to play it when I was little and Aang learned the flute." She still remembered how patiently Gyatso had taught them despite their restlessness, keen on giving them some reprieve from the strict training that he knew would be in their future.

"It wouldn't be difficult to commission one of those," Zuko reasoned as he studied the image, frowning at it thoughtfully, but then glanced up at her apologetically. "Right. Sorry, I know you said you don't want to do it."

"I don't know. It might not be a bad idea," she conceded after a moment of hesitation. "Especially considering this is the first time since your coronation that we're holding a public event for the world to see." Seeing Zuko start to smile, she quickly raised a finger. " _Only_ on the condition that you and Aang do a certain dance, too."

He immediately scowled. "Fire Lords don't dance."

"Well, then, this Air Nomad doesn't perform." She raised an eyebrow in challenge at him. "Your move, Your Majesty."

He exhaled loudly, tilting his head back dramatically against his armchair. " _Fine_."

"Great, I'll let Aang know right away." She pecked his cheek cheerfully.

"The things I do for harmony," he grumbled, but she could see the smile beginning to tug at his lips again.

* * *

 _Dear Rin,_

 _You really want to perform at the Harvest Festival? No way! It's going to be so much fun! I can't wait to show everyone the Dancing Dragon with Zuko, too, it's amazing that you convinced him to do it._

 _I haven't heard you play the dramyin in a long time, it'll be great to hear it again. They still make bamboo flutes, so I can find one before the festival, but I hope you know a guy who can make a good dramyin in the Fire Nation. I know you'll know how it should look and sound._

 _Do you remember the last Harvest Festival we attended, right after you got your arrows? Gyatso was so proud of you that he wanted to treat us by taking us to the festival. I don't think I'd ever seen so many people in one place, not to mention all the food and games and music. Try to work with Zuko to make it like that again, okay? It'd be great to show our friends what it was like back then, and experience it with them this time._

 _We'll reach the Fire Nation the day before the festival, so you and I can practice playing just like we used to back home at the temple. I can't wait to see you again. I miss you so much, I can't believe it's been practically three months since we last saw each other in Ba Sing Se._

 _Take care of yourself, and I'll see you soon._

 _Love, Aang_

* * *

"Rin!" Rinzen barely had time to react before Aang was barreling into her, practically a blur of orange and yellow as he threw his arms around her in a tight embrace. "I missed you _so much_!"

"It's only been a few months," she reminded him, but hugged him back all the same, squeezing him close with a smile. "I missed you, too." Aang had grown even taller since she had last seen him, now a couple inches taller than her, and she almost wished she could make him stop growing so that he could stay her little brother.

"It's been a whole _season_ ," he emphasized as he pulled back before then tackling Zuko in a hug as well. "Sifu Hotman!"

Zuko rolled his eyes, but patted Aang on the back affectionately with a faint smile. "How much do I need to pay you to quit calling me that?" Rinzen missed Aang's cheeky response as Katara greeted her with a hug next, followed by Sokka, Suki - who had joined them from Kyoshi Island to see the festival - and even Toph, who socked Rinzen in the shoulder in lieu of a hug.

Rubbing her shoulder ruefully, Rinzen asked, "So how's your school going?"

"It's going," Toph answered, shrugging one shoulder. "The lily-livers I'm teaching are greener than Twinkletoes was when he first started learning to earthbend, but they're getting there."

"I bet you're a great teacher," Rinzen said honestly, unable to help but wrap her arms around Toph in a hug. The earthbender squirmed for a moment, but then sank into the embrace, pressing her face into Rinzen's shoulder and clutching her tightly for several moments in a silent admission of how much she had really missed Rinzen.

"Did the dramyin come in yet?" Aang asked eagerly and Rinzen let go of Toph to nod. "Come on, we gotta rehearse!" He grabbed Rinzen's hand and she managed a helpless shrug at the others before she was dragged away.

Despite how nervous she still was to perform, she had to admit that playing the dramyin again as an accompaniment to Aang's flute was something she had sorely missed, even if her fingers already ached after a few hours of practice. They had agreed on the pieces they would play early on, and Rinzen was good at adapting to Aang's improvised melodies enough that she could keep up if he changed his tune mid-song.

She found herself still humming melodies under her breath that night as she drew out lines and bars for sheet music on a piece of parchment while sitting at the small writing desk in the bedroom, filling out the notes she and Aang would respectively play on different lines.

"I don't think I've ever heard you humming before," Zuko said and Rinzen jolted slightly, startled, as she looked up to find him leaning on the doorway and watching her with a faint smile.

"How long have you been just standing there listening to me?" she demanded, feeling heat rush into her cheeks at having been caught humming to herself.

"Only a minute or so," he reassured her, unable to help a small smile at her embarrassment as he shut the door behind himself and removed his crown before taking down his hair. "Don't be embarrassed, your voice is nice. I'm surprised you don't sing more often."

"I was trying to spare your ears," she joked and he rolled his eyes fondly before ducking down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

"Well, don't, I like listening to you." He peered over her shoulder at the sheet music she was drawing up. "I thought you two were planning to improvise and work off each other."

"We are, but I figured it'd help to have some sheet music drawn up just in case," she defended and he raised an eyebrow at her, amused.

"You're worried you're going to forget how to play midway through a song, aren't you?"

She flushed slightly. "Maybe." She dropped her gaze back to the parchment in front of her, coloring in a few more notes. "I just need to finish these sheets so that I don't make an idiot out of myself tomorrow."

"You'll be fine, Rin." Zuko covered her hand with his own, gently prying the quill out of her hand and setting it back in the inkwell. "The only thing you need to do is get some sleep so you're not exhausted at the festival."

"You're telling _me_ to sleep now?" she pointed out dryly and he cracked a wry smile.

"I know, the irony doesn't escape me." He leaned down to peck her lips. "Bed, please? Before I change my mind and go back to my study to keep working?"

"Yeah, yeah, no need to ask twice," she agreed, not wanting to pass up the opportunity to actually get Zuko to sleep at an early hour for once.

* * *

"Why did I suggest this?" Rinzen muttered under her breath as she settled the dramyin in her arms, trying to ignore the eyes of the milling crowd below the stage as they peered up at the two airbenders and tried to figure out what they were up to. People from all corners of the world were there at the festival, distinguished only by the colors of the clothes they wore as they laughed and talked and ate and drank together, as if they were all part of the same nation.

"Relax," Aang answered as he turned his flute in his hands, making sure it was in good condition. "You'll do great, we practiced for hours yesterday and you played just fine."

"We didn't have a huge crowd watching us yesterday," Rinzen retorted.

"Just try and find our friends in the crowd," he suggested. "Focus on their faces. That's what helps me when I get stage fright."

Rinzen stared at him, so surprised that she forgot for a moment just how nervous she was. " _You_ get stage fright? Since when?"

Aang shuffled self-consciously. "Since always," he admitted. "I'm not as perfect as you seem to think I am, you know."

"So why perform in the first place?" she pointed out and he shrugged one shoulder.

"I like making people happy." He fiddled with the flute in his hands. "And I guess, I don't know, it makes the nerves worth it, to see the smiles on their faces and know it's 'cause I did something right."

Rinzen felt a rush of warmth towards her brother, smiling faintly as she nudged her shoulder lightly against his. "You're such a good kid."

Aang turned pink, flattered by the praise, but gave her a broad smile all the same before bringing the flute up to his lips and starting up a quick tune that seemed to float on the air, commanding the attention of the crowd below. Rinzen scrambled to begin plucking at the strings of the dramyin in her hands as well, starting up an accompaniment to match Aang's melody. Her fingers stumbled over the strings as she was thrown off by everyone's eyes suddenly on her, but she quickly scanned the crowd until she found their friends standing to the side.

Sokka's mouth hung open in surprise - Rinzen assumed he hadn't expected her to actually be able to play an instrument - and Katara and Suki were both swaying to the music, smiles on their faces. Toph had her eyes closed, her head tilted slightly as she listened, and Zuko stood behind her, his expression impossibly soft and fond and his eyes practically molten gold under the bright lights of the lanterns surrounding the stage as they remained fixed on Rinzen.

Feeling a little emboldened that at least her friends were enjoying the performance, Rinzen chanced a look at Aang, who took the hint and let the flute fade into the background so that Rinzen could take the lead with a new melody, plucking at the dramyin strings and letting it ring clearly across the city square. The song was a little more melancholy than Aang's, and slower in rhythm, but it didn't seem to turn away the crowd's attention. If anything, they seemed even more enthralled by the music, more people flocking among the edges of the crowd to try and get a view of the stage. Rinzen couldn't remember ever having so much attention focused on her.

Thankfully, Aang seemed to pick up on her faltering confidence and took up the melody again, the sounds of their individual instruments intertwining and dancing through the air. As the song came to an end, the last few notes were lost to thunderous applause that shook the stage and nearly deafened Rinzen as she clutched the dramyin tightly, feeling a little overwhelmed.

"You were both incredible!" Katara gushed, throwing her arms around Aang's neck the moment they left the stage and made their way over to their friends. The crowd around the group seemed to give them a wide berth, possibly because of the crown nestled in Zuko's dark hair. Not many people quite knew what to make of the new Fire Lord yet.

"Thanks, sweetie," Aang answered as he slid his arms around Katara's waist in return, flushing at the praise even as he smiled broadly.

"Ugh, _oogies_ ," Sokka grumbled and then hissed in pain as Suki and Toph elbowed him sharply on both sides at the same time, but then Zuko's hand slipped into Rinzen's, drawing her attention up to him.

"I told you you'd be fine," he pointed out with a small smile, lifting their intertwined hands to press a soft kiss to her knuckles. She felt her heart stutter slightly in her chest and became keenly aware of people around them stopping to stare at the display of affection. It wasn't as if Rinzen and Zuko were often out in public together, but she knew already that many Fire Nation citizens had their reservations about their Fire Lord courting an Air Nomad.

"You liked the show?" she managed to get out when she recovered her ability to speak.

"Of course I did." Zuko looked surprised at the question. "You were really downplaying how talented you are." She could feel her face heating up even as he grinned, noticing her embarrassment as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "It's so easy to fluster you," he murmured teasingly against her hairline so that only she could hear and she turned her hand in his to pinch the skin between his thumb and forefinger in retaliation, unable to help a smile despite herself.

"Hey, Sifu Hotman!" Aang called, drawing Zuko's attention reluctantly off Rinzen as he pulled back and rolled his eyes fondly back at the young Avatar, who had returned to the edge of the stage. "Come on, it's your turn!"

Zuko looked for a moment as if he was about to protest, but then Rinzen squeezed his hand lightly to get his attention. "You promised me you would," she reminded him and he huffed a little.

"If I make a fool out of myself in front of my entire nation, it's on you."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll take full responsibility." She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek before shoving him in Aang's direction. "Go on. You'll do great." He rolled his eyes again, but she could see the beginnings of a smile on his face as he made his way to the stage to join Aang, shrugging out of the heavy outer robes he wore so that the flowing material wouldn't hinder his movements.

"I still can't believe you tricked Zuko into doing the Dancing Dragon with Twinkletoes," Toph said as Rinzen rejoined the group of friends at the edge of the crowd, bumping their shoulders together.

"Especially in front of the whole nation," Sokka agreed.

"Hey, I didn't trick him into anything, we made a deal," Rinzen reminded them.

"Well, I think it's sweet," Suki reassured her. "You two are really good for each other."

Sokka and Toph took the opportunity to crow in unison, " _Ooh_ , Rin and _Zuko!"_ Rinzen turned bright red, relieved that Zuko was far enough away and the crowd was loud enough that Sokka and Toph's teasing was drowned out.

"Oh, stop it, you two," Katara admonished before nodding to the stage. "Look, they're starting."

Rinzen turned her attention to the stage to see Aang and Zuko facing each other, each of them bowing to the other with a fist pressed into an open palm before settling into the first stances of the Dancing Dragon, facing away from each other as the band of musicians behind the stage started a heavy drumbeat. Even as they moved through the steps of the dance and circled around the stage, mirroring each other's stances, Rinzen could see how different their forms were, with Zuko's deliberate, steady movements and Aang's light steps as he flitted between stances like a hummingbird.

As they circled around to meet again, the drumbeat swelling until it sounded like thunder in Rinzen's ears, Zuko and Aang spun together in unison, fire erupting from their fists and spiraling around them in a giant funnel that stretched up towards the night sky. The crowd gasped in awe at the sight of the myriad of colors flickering amongst the orange and yellow flames - shades of blue, green, and even purple - and Rinzen's breath caught in her throat. She had never seen so many colors in fire before and wondered what exactly Zuko and Aang had learned from their trip to the Sun Warrior ruins that could make them bend rainbow-colored fire like that. She could feel the heat of the funnel of fire even as far away as she stood.

The fire dissipated at last, leaving Zuko and Aang facing each other in another bow, but then they straightened and clasped hands briefly, both of them smiling broadly as the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Zuko glanced out over the audience, catching Rinzen's eye and raising his eyebrow subtly as if silently asking, "Are you happy now?"

She rolled her eyes back at him fondly and he grinned in response before glancing at Aang, who nodded back to him before they lifted their clasped hands together, a public sign of their alliance and the harmony they planned to bring to the rest of the world.

* * *

 **I, uh. Well. This chapter took much longer than I expected to finish (mostly because Kingdom Hearts III FINALLY came out and I've been playing it any chance I get). But hey, look, more fluff?**

 **Yeah, I didn't want to rush right into the comics storyline, and this kind of just wrote itself. I liked the idea of Rinzen and Aang being able to play some traditional instruments from their culture, and found the dramyin online, which is a Tibetan lute. I did my best to represent it as well as I could here, and I listened to several clips of it being played online to try and figure out how their music should sound.**

 **I was thinking the songs Rinzen and Aang played are very similar to For River from To the Moon and Time is a Place (Guitar Version) from Finding Paradise, if anyone wants to listen to them for reference. Aang probably took the melody in For River with his flute with Rinzen playing the harmony, while Rinzen took the lead in Time is a Place with her "guitar"/dramyin.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope to get the next chapter out soon!**


	3. The Intruder

**Chapter 3: The Intruder**

* * *

"I finally found it!" Rinzen dropped a large gilded book on the bed beside Zuko, jostling him and the mattress slightly with its weight, and he set aside the documents he had been poring over to peer at the book's cover curiously.

"'Myths and Legends of Old?'" he read the faded title, raising an eyebrow back at Rinzen. "What's this?"

"This is the book Monk Gyatso used to read to me and Aang when we were little, it's how I learned about lion-turtles. Scoot over." Zuko obediently shuffled aside and Rinzen climbed under the covers beside him, settling the book in her lap and opening it to the chapter on lion-turtles. "Sora and I found a bunch of books locked in a vault in the Dragonbone Catacombs the other day and this was one of them."

"They were locked up?" he echoed, bewildered. "Why?"

"Same reason dancing used to be banned during the war, I guess." She shrugged one shoulder. "Creativity's a dangerous thing, especially when certain people want to control everything."

"You can say my dad, I'm not gonna be offended when it's true," he deadpanned, bumping his shoulder fondly against hers before nodding to the book. "Go on, tell me a bedtime story."

"Will you actually sleep if I do?" she asked dryly and he shifted to lay down, nestling his head against the curve of her hip comfortably.

"Yep."

"Huh." She wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. "Maybe I ought to read to you more often, didn't know that was an option to make you sleep." He rolled his eyes, pinching her knee lightly, and she tugged on a lock of his hair in retaliation before propping the book open on her knees. "'Lion-turtles, or Ancient Ones, as most respectfully refer to them, are the largest known creatures in the world. In the era of Raava, they lived in the Spirit Wilds and served as protectors of mankind by housing their cities on their backs.'"

"Raava?" Zuko echoed, frowning slightly.

"The spirit who eventually fused with the very first Avatar to allow him to bend all four elements at once," Rinzen explained. "That's why Aang's eyes glow when he goes into the Avatar State. It's Raava's energy shining through." Zuko raised an eyebrow again and she flushed slightly. "I did a lot of research when I was younger, I was curious how it worked."

"Nerd," he teased and promptly hid his face into her side with a grin when she scowled back at him.

"You're one to talk," she retorted, but the sight of him curled up beside her was so endearing that she found herself unable to sound as annoyed as she wanted to as she brushed her free hand through his hair slowly and focused back on the book to keep reading out loud.

"Is there a chapter on dragons?" Zuko asked abruptly as she reached the end of the page.

"I think so," she answered, "Although they were still around when this book was written, so it's not like they were mythical or anything. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged, not quite meeting her eyes. "No reason. There were just a lot of murals and statues of dragons in those old Sun Warrior ruins Aang and I visited. Got me wondering about them."

"Well, I'll read that chapter next if you're really that interested," she agreed, turning to the chapter in question. "'While the now-extinct race of people known as the Sun Warriors were the first humans to learn firebending, the dragons are the first true masters of firebending, harnessing the power of the sun and using their inner chi to turn it into fire…'"

As Rinzen continued to read out loud, she could hear Zuko's breathing slowing and evening out beside her. Once she reached the end of the page, she glanced down to find him fast asleep, his face turned into her side and his hand half-curled around hers where it rested beside his cheek. Unable to help a smile, she leaned down to press a kiss against his temple before settling back against the headboard of the bed to keep reading in silence, flipping quietly through the pages with her free hand. Even something as simple as looking through the pictures illuminated by the dim candlelight brought her back to her early childhood, curled up under a heavy blanket beside her brother as they peered over Gyatso's arms at the pages and listened to his soothing voice wash over them until they dozed off.

She had just finished reading the chapter on sea serpents when Zuko jolted upright suddenly beside her. "Did you hear something?" he demanded, sounding wide awake even though she was sure he had been deeply asleep only moments earlier.

"Uh, no," she said, startled, although she had been so engrossed in reading that she couldn't be confident in her answer. "Why, what's the matter?"

"Thought I heard something outside. Stay here, I'll go take a look." He leaned down to press a kiss against the top of her head before sliding off the bed to head for the door.

"Sora's standing guard, he would have noticed if something was outside," she pointed out with a frown, shutting her book and setting it aside on the nightstand. He didn't answer her, opening the door and stepping outside.

"What's the matter?" Rinzen heard Sora's surprised voice on the other side of the door, but Zuko's response was so quiet that she couldn't hear what he was saying. Sora lowered his voice, too, but Rinzen couldn't mistake the sudden tension in his voice. She gave up on trying to listen from where she was sitting, pushing herself out of bed and heading for the door. Both Zuko and Sora jumped when she pushed the door open, their expressions identically guilty.

"Alright, what're you two hiding from me?" she demanded, leaning on the doorway and crossing her arms.

"Nothing," Zuko answered a little too hurriedly. "Go back to bed, everything's fine."

"Right, that's why you just woke up like you'd been electrocuted," she answered dryly. Seeing his mouth quirk into a wry smile, she added, "Yes, I know you know how that feels, so the analogy is accurate. Now what's the matter?"

"I just thought I heard something, and it turned out to be nothing," he insisted.

"Alright, great, so why don't you come back to bed?" she suggested and he hesitated, exchanging a glance with Sora. "So there _is_ something wrong?" Rinzen guessed.

"Zuko thinks someone might have gotten into the palace again," Sora blurted out and Zuko leveled a glare at him. "Hey, it's not like we can keep it from her," he defended.

"You think someone's in the palace?" Rinzen echoed, cold dread sinking in as she pushed herself off the doorway. "Are you sure?"

Zuko sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. "No. I was probably just hearing things. I'm going to take a walk or something, clear my head."

"If someone _is_ here, they could be waiting for you to be on your own somewhere," she pointed out worriedly.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her, closing the space between them to press a kiss against her forehead. It didn't soothe her nerves like it usually did, and she was sure he could sense it as he slipped his hand into hers and squeezed her fingers gently. "I won't go far, if it makes you feel better," he offered.

"It doesn't, but I don't really think anything will at this point," she deadpanned, pulling back just enough to give him a wry smile. "Sorry. I know I'm worrying too much."

"I don't blame you." He gave her a faint smile in return, although she could see the exhaustion behind it as he leaned down to peck her lips briefly before letting go of her hand to step back. "I'll be back soon, I promise. Go back to bed, Rin." Before she could protest, he turned and headed down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

"Any chance I can convince you to keep an eye on him?" she asked Sora, who grinned wryly.

"I can guarantee he'd rather have me guard you." His smile turned into a more sympathetic one. "Just give him some time, he'll be okay. In the meantime, try getting some rest? You're not doing yourself any favors by exhausting yourself."

Rinzen sighed heavily, scrubbing a hand over her face. "Yeah. Okay. If anything happens, wake me?"

"'Course I will." Sora opened the door and nudged her inside. "Go on."

"Alright, alright, I'm going. 'Night, Sora." She returned to the bedroom, shutting the door behind herself and climbing back under the covers. The sheets were already cold and the bed felt larger and emptier than ever without Zuko beside her. She debated picking up the book of legends again, but couldn't bring herself to keep reading, so she lay back to stare at the ceiling until her eyes itched with exhaustion and she finally let herself doze off into an uneasy sleep.

A light brush of lips against her forehead drew her back into consciousness, the mattress shifting slightly as Zuko sat down beside her.

"When'd you get back?" she mumbled around a yawn, instinctively curling closer to his warmth, and he carded his fingers through her hair.

"Just a couple minutes ago," he reassured her and she opened her eyes to find dim pre-dawn light filtering into the room.

"Have you been out all night?" she accused and the dark circles under Zuko's eyes gave away the answer even before his guilty expression could. "I swear, your ability to go without sleep so long is supernatural," she sighed wearily as she pushed herself upright to nestle her head against his shoulder. "What have you been doing all this time?"

"I just took a long walk around the palace grounds and lost track of time." He ducked his head to press a kiss to her temple. "I'm sorry, Rin. I didn't mean to worry you."

As Rinzen turned her nose into his shoulder, she could vaguely smell a damp earthy scent lingering on his shirt, like he had been underground. She was suddenly reminded of her time imprisoned beneath the palace, breathing in the same earthy scent every day, and immediately knew he had lied about where he had been, but decided not to ask. He would tell her the truth whenever he was ready.

"Will you get some sleep now, at least?" she asked instead and he shook his head.

"Too much work to do. I'm sorry. I just wanted to check on you before I went to my study."

"You know, I appreciate you apologizing, but I really wish you wouldn't have to do it so often," she pointed out wryly and he opened his mouth before closing it just as quickly. "You were just gonna do it again, weren't you?" she guessed and he flushed slightly, embarrassed, and lowered his head wordlessly to avoid meeting her eyes. "Dork," she couldn't help but tease fondly even as she leaned in to kiss him softly. "It's okay. Just try to sleep when you can."

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," he admitted with a faint smile, leaning back in to steal a firm kiss that left her dizzy when he pulled away. "Would it be too much to ask you to go back to sleep now?"

"Yes. Also hypocritical," she answered dryly and he huffed a chuckle as he pecked her lips again tenderly.

"Fair enough."

* * *

"You seem worried," Mai noted as she passed Rinzen a cup of tea and settled in the opposite chair with her own cup of tea. It wasn't the first time the two had met outside of the palace in a tea shop, but Rinzen still found it surreal that they had somehow become friends despite the original contention between them.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked sheepishly.

"You're not as hard to read as you seem to think you are," Mai pointed out before folding her arms on the table. "So. What's the matter with Zuko? I assume he's the reason you're upset, anyway."

"Honestly, I think he's going to work himself to death if something doesn't change soon," Rinzen confessed, taking a sip of her tea. "He hardly sleeps, and when he does, he wakes up in the middle of the night in a state of paranoia. If I don't bully him into eating, he'd probably skip meals, too."

Mai shook her head. "You're not his babysitter, Rin, you can't force him to take care of himself. The same thing happened when he was debating what to do after we came home from Ba Sing Se. He didn't tell me anything about why he was so upset, even before we broke up."

"He didn't?" Rinzen struggled to remember how Zuko had looked back then, but at the time, she had been so enveloped in her own cloud of grief over Aang's presumed death that she had hardly noticed anything else. As she thought back to those days, though, she could recall the dark circles under Zuko's eyes and the hollowness in his cheeks, eerily similar to how he was beginning to look more recently. She felt her stomach twist with worry at the thought. "You really think he's worrying about something that serious now?"

"I don't know," Mai answered, shrugging one shoulder, although her usually-impassive expression was marred by her eyebrows knitting together. "He's the Fire Lord, I assume he's got a lot on his mind. Whatever it is, he'll tell you when he's ready to."

"If it doesn't kill him first," Rinzen deadpanned and Mai cracked a small smile at last, lifting her cup in a silent invitation. Grinning back, Rinzen tapped her own cup against Mai's before taking another sip of tea. "So how's your family doing?"

"They're alright. Tom-Tom's starting to talk more," Mai answered, her smile softening slightly at the mention of her younger brother. "My mother's very pleased with his progress."

"Wow, he's growing up fast," Rinzen marveled. "When I last saw him back in Omashu, he couldn't do much more than babble and crawl."

"He's getting better at walking, too. He's a little speed demon now," Mai said, shaking her head with amusement. "It's all we can do to keep him out of trouble. He keeps eating the flowers at my aunt's shop every time we visit."

It took Rinzen a moment to remember that Mai's aunt owned a flower shop; it seemed so unlike Mai to be surrounded by such vibrant colors. "He _eats_ them?" she echoed, bewildered.

Mai rolled her eyes, although her expression was still fond. "Don't ask. He thinks they're delicious." Rinzen couldn't help but laugh despite herself.

"Mai!" The stern voice cut through their conversation and Mai's expression instantly became shuttered as she glared over Rinzen's shoulder at the man who had intruded on their conversation.

"What do you want, Dad?" she snapped and Rinzen looked over her shoulder to find the former Ozai-appointed governor of Omashu storming into the tea shop and making a beeline for their table. "I'm busy," Mai added pointedly as he stopped in front of them, taking a sip of her tea.

"I can see that." Mai's father narrowed his eyes at Rinzen, who blinked back at him in surprise.

"I'm sorry, sir, do you have a problem with me having tea with your daughter?" she asked politely before adding quickly as he opened his mouth to retort, "Before you get too upset, I'd like to remind you that I'm already happily taken, and frankly, Mai's out of my league, anyway. She can do better."

Mai couldn't quite suppress an unlady-like derisive snort in time and her father whipped his head around to glower at her. "Watch your manners," he scolded her sharply. "And I wouldn't spend my time consorting with outsiders if I were you."

"Well, it's a good thing you're not me, then, isn't it?" Mai deadpanned with another sip of tea, but something about the way her father had said the word "outsiders," spitting it out with another scowl at Rinzen like it was a curse, felt like a punch to Rinzen's stomach.

"Your mother would like you to come home now," Mai's father said, his lips pursing in reaction to her defiance.

"I'll come home when I'm good and ready," Mai retorted and when her father didn't budge from their table, she raised an eyebrow coolly. " _Bye_." With another huff, he turned on his heel and left again, leaving Mai to turn a small, apologetic frown on Rinzen. "I'm sorry about that," she said quietly. "He's been acting weird ever since the war ended and-" She broke off suddenly at the look on Rinzen's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rinzen said quickly, draining her cup of tea and getting to her feet. "I should get going."

"Hey, if this is about what my dad said-" Mai tried to protest, climbing to her feet as well.

"No, no, it's not," Rinzen reassured her, although she wasn't sure she sounded convincing enough. "I just need to get back to the palace, I promised Zuko I'd meet him to feed the turtle-ducks." It wasn't entirely a lie; they did often feed the turtle-ducks that swam in the garden pond, but she wasn't sure he would even leave his study to join her that day.

"Sure." Mai's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Rin, you're not an outsider here. Everyone's welcome in the Fire Nation now. You know that, right?"

"Sure, yeah. Of course." Rinzen forced a smile as she returned the tea cup to the counter. "I'll see you later, Mai." She quickly made her escape out of the tea shop before Mai could question her further; the other girl had a way of reading people that unnerved her.

* * *

"Oh, hey, are we feeding the turtle-ducks today? Wish I'd known or I'd've joined you sooner," Zuko said innocently as he sat down beside Rinzen at the edge of the pond in the palace gardens, making her jump and drop the loaf of bread in her hands. He caught it easily before it could fall into the grass, tearing off a small piece and tossing it into the water for the turtle-duckling nearest him to grab.

"I can't believe your ex told on me," she complained. "I'm starting to realize I can't trust any of your friends."

"In Mai's defense, you're her friend, too, and she cares about you," he pointed out, ducking his head to press a kiss into Rinzen's hair as he slid his free arm around her shoulders. "She said you seemed rattled by something her father said?" he added, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"I'm okay." Rinzen shrugged, not quite meeting his eyes as she took a piece of bread from him to feed another turtle-duckling that paddled over to her. It nibbled the crumbs right out of her palm, peeping delightedly as it ate and pecking at her palm for more when it was empty.

"Right." Zuko frowned, unconvinced. "You know I love having you here, right?"

"Yeah, sure. Give me some more bread, these turtle-ducks are hungrier than I thought." She held her hand out for another chunk of bread, but he held the loaf over his head and out of her reach. She sighed heavily. "What do you want me to say, Zuko? I'm an Air Nomad. Of course not everyone here would approve of their Fire Lord being with an outsider."

"I don't care who approves of it," Zuko said stubbornly.

"Well, maybe I do," she blurted out before she could stop herself, taking advantage of his surprise to snatch the bread back out of his hand and focusing on tearing the loaf into smaller chunks so that she wouldn't have to look at him.

"Why does it matter what just a few people think about us?" he asked quietly after a long moment.

Rinzen swallowed back the sudden lump in her throat as she tossed the rest of the bread into the pond for the turtle-ducklings to squabble over. The mother of the turtle-ducklings swam over to break up the fight, a long-suffering expression on her feathered face.

"Because it can't just be a few people and you know that. If Mai's father thinks like that, I'm sure plenty of others do, too. Maybe most of the Fire Nation hates that I'm here," she answered at last.

"So what if they do?" Zuko's hand covered hers and she reluctantly looked back up at him to find him watching her with his eyebrows knitted together in worry. "Aren't you happy here?"

"Of course I am," she answered without hesitation.

"Then never mind what other people think." He pressed a kiss to the center of her arrow tattoo, and she shut her eyes to soak in the warmth of his lips against her forehead. "I love you," he murmured before pulling back to press their foreheads together. "Isn't that enough?" He sounded far more uncertain suddenly and Rinzen opened her eyes to find him watching her warily for a response.

"Yeah," she reassured him. "That's more than enough." His answering smile was blinding and she couldn't help but smile back as she leaned in to peck the corner of his mouth softly in return. "And I love you, too."

A sudden peep from between them caught their attention and they both looked down to see a turtle-duckling waddling out from the pond and settling in front of them on the grass, blinking up at them expectantly with large black eyes.

"I think he's still hungry," Zuko noted with a chuckle, reaching out to stroke the turtle-duckling's tiny head with one finger. It peeped again happily, nuzzling back into his touch.

"Guess I'd better find more bread, then," Rinzen joked as she pulled back to climb to her feet.

"Hey." Zuko caught her hand, lacing their fingers together. "Are you really okay?" It was easy to see the exhaustion on his face now in broad daylight, the dark circles under his eyes standing out against his pale skin, and any remaining concerns died in Rinzen's throat.

"I'm fine," she reassured him instead, squeezing his hand lightly. "Seriously, don't worry so much. At this rate, your hair will start going gray before you turn twenty." He wrinkled his nose at that, but shook his head with a conceding smile.

"If you say so." He lifted their intertwined hands to press a kiss to her knuckles before letting go of her reluctantly.

* * *

It wasn't surprising when Zuko jolted out of bed in the middle of the night anymore; Rinzen ended up expecting it more often than not these days.

"There's nothing there, sweetheart," she mumbled around a yawn as she shuffled into the warm abandoned spot he had left behind. "It's probably just the wind or something. Just like it was last night, and the night before that. Come back to bed."

"I know I heard something this time," Zuko answered grimly. "Stay here, I'll be back in a minute." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before heading for the door. Sora wasn't on duty that night, or at least Rinzen assumed as much when she couldn't hear his voice among the other guards' voices suggesting that Zuko return to bed and that everything was fine. Maybe that was why he seemed even more on edge than usual, she mused as she pushed herself out of bed, making her way to the door and absently smoothing down her messy hair on the way.

"Fire Lord, please, go back to sleep," one of the guards - a captain Sora had appointed personally - was pleading with Zuko. "We're in the most secure tower of the palace."

"He's got a point," Rinzen agreed sleepily, pressing her forehead against Zuko's back and letting her eyes close briefly so that she could let them rest for another moment. "You're starting to sound paranoid," she added without lifting her head.

"Someone's here, Rin, I can feel it," Zuko insisted as he glanced over his shoulder at her, his tone frustrated, "Are you telling me my instincts are wrong?"

"No, but they might be a little frayed, just like your nerves," she pointed out as she pulled back again, frowning at the agitated expression on his face. "It's bad enough you don't sleep because of work, but getting up like this every night isn't doing you any favors, either."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, Rinzen might be right," the captain suggested tentatively. Zuko glowered at him, but Rinzen couldn't help a grin.

"See? This guy gets it," she said, giving the captain a thumbs-up of approval.

Zuko sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes hard. "I know you're worried, Rin," he said, turning to face her properly. "But I can't just turn off my brain and-" He broke off as the captain collapsed suddenly behind him with a grunt as something heavy collided with his head, unconscious before he even hit the floor. Another two loud thuds knocked the other two guards unconscious as well. Zuko spun around, tugging Rinzen behind him instinctively as he fell into a defensive stance with his fist aimed in front of them. "Show yourself!" he shouted at the empty hallway.

"I take everything I said back about your paranoia," Rinzen offered apologetically as she clutched the back of Zuko's shirt, feeling a stab of guilt for doubting him even as her heart hammered in her throat. "What _was_ that?"

"I don't know," Zuko answered tersely, glancing around them worriedly, before a mace flew at them from the darkness, slamming into the ground at his feet. He jumped back, shoving Rinzen out of the way before punching forward to unleash a powerful blast of fire at their assailant as she leapt out of the shadows, clad in black with a mask covering most of her face except her braided brown hair and brown eyes.

"Down with the traitor!" she shouted. "Down with the Fire Lord who betrays his own people!" The words rang an unpleasant bell in Rinzen's head even as she pushed her hands out to send an air current to knock their attacker back. She threw the mace out again as she landed on her feet, but Zuko dodged it and swung his leg out to send a wave of fire at her, knocking her to the floor as her mace skittered across the carpet out of reach.

"Convince me not to end your life!" he snarled as he closed the space between them, tearing her cloth mask off to reveal a young girl around Katara's age.

"Zuko, stop, she's a kid!" Rinzen blurted out before she could stop herself, hurrying to grab his arm before he could throw a blast of fire at the girl. His skin was boiling hot and it was all she could do to hold on long enough to yank his arm back to his side.

"That _kid_ was trying to kill us ten seconds ago!" he snapped back at her.

"No, just you," the girl on the floor piped up. "She could've lived if she hadn't interfered."

"Oh, okay, I'll be sure to let you kill my boyfriend next time so you can spare me, then," Rinzen said dryly, but had to tug Zuko's arm down again as he attempted to lift it once more.

"Let _go_ , Rin!" he insisted.

"Not until you knock it off!" she retorted. "I'm not gonna let you hurt some misguided kid!"

"Oh, go ahead and let him kill me," the girl said bitterly. "He'd only be proving me right. My family's been loyal to his for generations. By killing me, he'd just complete his betrayal."

"Your family?" Zuko echoed, his confusion outweighing his anger as his skin began to cool against Rinzen's hand.

"My father's the mayor of Yu Dao," the girl answered.

The name sounded familiar, but before Rinzen could ask, Zuko confirmed, "The first of the Fire Nation colonies."

"And _my_ home," the girl added heatedly. "And now you and the Avatar are gonna destroy it with your precious Harmony Restoration Movement!"

Convinced that Zuko wouldn't attempt to kill her now as a stunned expression settled over his face, Rinzen released his arm and knelt down to the girl's height. "What's your name?" she asked curiously.

The girl stared at her, bewildered, before dropping her gaze to her knees. "Kori," she muttered sullenly.

"How old are you?" Rinzen prompted.

Kori pursed her lips, ducking her head to keep Rinzen from trying to meet her eyes. "Fifteen," she mumbled.

"You know, there are better ways of bringing up your concerns than jumping straight to murder," Rinzen pointed out dryly.

"Somebody had to do _something_ ," Kori burst out, frustrated. "No one in Yu Dao wants to leave. But it's not like _he_ cares." She jabbed a finger at Zuko accusingly over Rinzen's shoulder. "He's supposed to protect his people, not throw them to the wolves. Let me guess, you're going to cart me home to face my family," she added resentfully to him.

"That's _exactly_ what I'm going to do," Zuko said with a scowl as the sounds of footsteps echoed down the hall and Sora skidded around the corner.

"The _one_ night I'm not on duty, and this happens," he sighed wearily as he took in the situation. "Are either of you hurt?" He glanced up at Zuko and Rinzen worriedly.

"We're fine," Rinzen reassured him, slipping her hand into Zuko's. She didn't know why it hurt as much as it did when he pulled his hand away immediately from hers, running his fingers agitatedly through his hair instead.

"Sora, have her locked in the dungeon until we can get a ship ready," he ordered irritably. "I'll be taking her home to Yu Dao myself. And have someone collect the guards she knocked out and escort them to the infirmary." He turned sharply on his heel and slammed the bedroom door shut behind himself.

Sora glanced at Rinzen, alarmed, but Rinzen just shook her head; it was better not to ask too many questions when Zuko was in such an obviously-foul mood. Reluctantly, Sora nodded before ushering Kori to her feet, tying her hands behind her back and nudging her down the hallway.

"Come on, kid, let's get you down to the dungeon."

"I can walk on my own," she snapped at him, yanking her arms out of his grip and walking ahead of him with her chin jutted out stubbornly. Once they rounded the corner, Rinzen followed Zuko's lead, shutting the bedroom door behind herself and turning to find him sitting on the edge of the bed, his head buried in his hands.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded and he looked up at the sound of her voice.

"Excuse me?" he said, startled.

"Since when do you snap at Sora?" she pointed out. "And since when do you threaten to kill children?"

"She's hardly a child," he dismissed. "Especially if she's able to sneak into the palace and attempt to kill the Fire Lord."

"She's fifteen!" she said incredulously.

"So is Azula," he reminded her and the revelation took her aback. She had never considered the fact that Azula, as awful as she had been, as cruel and calculating and harsh, was still younger than both herself and Zuko. "You forgot that, didn't you?" he said as he took in the stunned expression on her face with a small, weary smile.

"Kind of, yeah," Rinzen confessed, embarrassed. "But that doesn't change what happened tonight. Kori's clearly frustrated because no one will take her seriously. Yes, she went to extremes!" she added as Zuko opened his mouth to protest hotly. "But if someone - maybe a certain Fire Lord - listened to her and took action, then others might not be tempted to do the same thing." She hesitated before adding, "Also, I'm not gonna say I told you so, but I did warn you before about people maybe not being happy about the colonies being relocated back to the Fire Nation."

"Of course you did," he said sarcastically, collapsing back onto the edge of the bed. "Because you always have to be right about everything, don't you? And hey, you were right when you said I was just hearing things tonight, too. Your track record's great so far."

She blinked, hurt. "I said I was sorry for that."

"You said I was starting to sound paranoid," he accused.

"I did," she conceded, closing the space between them to take his hands. "And I'm _sorry_. You were right about hearing someone outside and I shouldn't've doubted you."

He exhaled slowly at last, letting their fingers curl together. "I know you mean well by worrying, Rin. But making me sound like I'm going crazy doesn't help."

"I didn't mean to," she said guiltily and he let himself sink forward against her, releasing her hands to wind his arms around her waist.

"I know. I'm sorry for snapping at you and Sora."

"Make it up to me by coming home from Yu Dao soon," she reassured him as she relaxed into his hold, pressing her lips into his hair as her arms slid around his shoulders and she let her fingers card through his hair slowly. "I meant what I said about listening to Kori, though. I don't blame you for being angry at her, but maybe she's not the only one with problems that are going unheard."

Zuko hesitated before nodding reluctantly. "I'll talk to her father. She said he was the mayor. If anyone will speak for the people of Yu Dao, it's him."

"That's all I ask." Rinzen pressed another kiss against the top of his head. "Are you still mad at me?"

"It's impossible to be when you've already apologized a bunch of times," he sighed, cracking a small smile back up at her before tugging her down into a proper kiss.

* * *

 **It's been over a year, but the Avatar renaissance brought on by Netflix spurred me to crank out another chapter of this fic!**

 **Honestly, The Promise starts off relatively slow and it required a lot of motivation for me to write this scene out. Hopefully, things won't be as slow for the next update, but I'm changing jobs soon, so I'm not sure how steady updates will be. I'll do my best!**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


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